Potato-digger.



No. 630,!77. Patented Aug. l, I899. D. BUCHANAN.

POTATO BIGGER.

(Application filed Apr. 28, 1899.)

(N0 Model.)

Dam! bi'zzclgaizaig (7 517%? Unirnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID BUCHANAN, OF AUBURN, VICTORIA.

POTATO-DIGGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 630,177, dated August1, 1899.

Application filed April 28, 1899. $eria11lo. 714,888. (No model.)

To a l/Z whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID BUCHANAN, a subject of the Queen of the UnitedKingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Auburn, in the Colonyof Victoria, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in P0-tato-Diggers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention,such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to machines for digging potatoes or other likeroot crops and cleaning, bagging, or laying the said potatoes or thelike in rows or heaps, as desired. The machine is characterized byhaving an adjustable inclined curved screen or riddle, at the front ofwhich is a soil-cutting edge or share and within which is anelevating-screw or carrier which has an incurved rounded entering edgeand which revolves automatically as the machine is drawn forward. Ithasalso all parts requiring to be adjusted during the progress of themachine in the field accessible to the driver without requiring thelatter to leave his seat-that is to say, the screw can be started orstopped, the machine-front can be raised or lowered to adjust the depthof cut, and the potatoes can be tipped out at will when any desiredquantity has been raised and accumulated in the receptacle provided forthe purpose. In combination with these features are various parts whichwill be fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings andthe explanations below.

In the drawings, Figure 1 exhibits a side elevation of my machine. Fig.2 represents a plan view of parts thereof. Fig. 3 exhibits a rearelevation of various parts, and Fig. 4 shows an elevating-screw alone.

In the drawings, A represents an inclined adjustable riddle having atits low front end a mouth with a share or cutting edge B of any suitableform. The upper rear aperture of the riddle has any suitable dischargeedge 0. Inside of this riddle, which has the sec tional form of an arcof a circle, is a screwD upon a spindle E, supported upon any suit--able bearings. By means of bevel-wheel F gearing into bevel-wheel G on atransverse shaft H, carrying a small sprocket-wheel I,

connected by a chain with a larger sprocket-- wheel J, loosely mountedupon the axle K of the traction-wheels L of the machine, the

drawing of the machine forward by any ani mal yoked to the pole N willcause the screw D to rotate automatically and act as an elevator. Thereis a clutch M, operated by handle M, one part of which is upon shaft oraxle K and engages with the other part upon-6o the larger sprocket-wheel J to work screw D. The cutting-mouth B of the riddle is bolted on,to be replaced when worn, and is regulated to work at a sufficient depthbelow the surface of the ground to go underneath the potatoes or otherlike roots, and to maintain the depth desired there is provided at thefront a roller 0, the axle of which is swung on the fore ends of crankedlevers P, each of which is secured in position by a bracket Q, bolted tothe respective leverP. Each bracket Q can be moved backward or forwardand is fastened (as by a bolt Q, passing through a slot in the bracketand through a hole in the frame of the machine, various parts of which 7frame are marked Z) in any position to suit the depth required. Theearth-line exterior to the machine when at work is shown.

WVhen the machine is in use, the soil and potatoes are forced to enterinto the open clined riddle with a motion which causes the soil duringthe ascent to be separated and dropped through the spaces between thebars A of the riddle. The edge D of the screwblade passes suflicientlyclose to the bars of the riddle to out up the weeds and the tops orhalms of the potato-plants, which also fall between the said bars,together with the soil. The speed of the screw is so arranged that itwill carry up the potatoes, &c., at a compara tively rapid ratet'. 6.,rather faster than the 5 machine travels forward-so that the materialcannot accumulate and choke the screw. The potatoes may be deliveredinto a removable box S, which has a movable door or bottom T. By keepingthe said bottom open the potatoes raised will be caused to fall in rows,or after allowing the box to fill to any desired degree the driver mayopen it with alever U, which is operated by hand or foot and hassuitable connections U with said door T. This will let the potatoes fallout into a heap.

The design of the box S may be varied at will. Instead of using a box,bags or other receptacles may be attached in any known way for thereception of the potatoes direct from the discharge 0.

To raise the front of this machine out of the ground, the driver turnsby hand or moves with his foot a handle on asmall winch, the barrel ofwhich is marked W, and so winds up a wire cord or the like V, which inany suitable way, as by passing over a pulley X, Fig. 1, connects thesaid barrel with the part having the mouth B, as at X. This connectionmight be made direct by a lever.

R shows a ratchet and pawl at each side of the spindle of thewinch-barrel W, whereby the barrel is prevented from running back duringor after winding up.

There are several points in which modifications of details might be madeWithout departing from the spirit of this in vention. For example, theclosingof the doorT of the box S may be assisted or accelerated by aspring.

It will be observed that the base of box S is rounded and that the dooris located on one side of its pivot T in such a manner that the doorwill close automatically bygravity as soon as the handle or lever U isreleased. Owing to the shape of the box-base the door will be easy toopen, because it has not to sustain the whole weight of the box contentsand because immediately it begins to open the weight it does sustainbegins to diminish owing to the escape of the lowermost potatoes formingsuch weight. This arrangement of door also avoids undue friction of anddamage to the potatoes. Instead of a roller 0 there might be a wheel orpair of wheels.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is- 1. In a potato-digger, the combination with aninclined curved riddle having at its low front end a mouth with a shareor cutting edge; a screw elevator within the same having a roundedentering edge, and at its discharge end gear, whereby the said screwwill by turning of the traction-wheels of the ma.- chine be revolved;and means for adj ustably supporting the front end of the riddle,substantially as described.

2. In a potato-digger the combination with an inclined curved riddle ofa screw elevator within the same having an incurved rounded enteringedge and at its discharge end bevelgear operated by sprocket-and-chainmechanism whereby the said screw will by the turning of thetraction-wheels of the machine be revolved so as to carry potatoes orthe like up the riddle at a comparatively rapid rate, substantially asand for the purposes set forth.

3. In a potato-digger, the combination with a riddle, an elevatin -screwhaving a rounded entering edge; gear for rotating said screw by theforward motion of the machine; and

means for connecting and disconnecting said gear; of a roller mountedadjustably upon the front end of the riddle for supporting the latter,and means for lifting the front end of said riddle wit-h said rollerabove the level of the ground, substantially as described.

4. In a potato-digger having an inclined curved riddle having anelevating-sc|'ew,having an incurved rounded entering edge, said screwbeing adapted to push potatoes up the said riddle and dirt and halmsthrough the bars thereof, the combination therewith of a box orpotato-receptacle S having a door T with pivot T and connections U tohandle U whereby the door can be opened andthe box emptied at will, andwhereby the door of said box will close automatically when the lever orhandle U is released substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID BUCHANAN.

Witnesses:

W. H. OUBLEY, G. G. TURRI.

